For decades, the radio has been a source of entertainment, a significant element of many forms of recreation and a source of company for individuals in remote settings. The portable radio has evolved from a cumbersome, frequently fragile and less than dependable novelty to small, energy efficient, sturdy, dependable free standing units that accompany thousands as a significant part of outdoor recreational activities, including camping, picnicking, and similar, activities. In addition to size reduction and improved dependability plus transistor technology and the growth of circuit board technology, and the continued improvement of batteries, all have contributed to the seemingly ubiquitous presence of the portable radio.
Portable radios and any of a wide variety of portable coolers or ice chests are functionally unrelated; however, both appliances commonly are included as virtually essential equipment. The radio and the cooler most commonly are found with the people. Combining these devices may be of practical convenience so long as the utility of each is maintained without burdening either.
Cooler chests and similar devices have been variously modified to include radio receivers or otherwise function as elements of a sound system. Generally modifications have involved the chest or body portion of the cooler, or both the lid portion and the body, and modifications either expose functional components of the radio to mechanical or environmental damage or require significant modifications to commercially available cooler units.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,395 to Long discloses positioning speaker units protruding from the external walls of a commercially available picnic cooler. The disclosure includes attaching an independent radio receiver to the exterior of the cooler lid. U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,191 to Adams describes securing a complete radio receiver unit, including speakers, in a recess formed in the exterior wall of a cooler chest, with components of the unit protruding from the surface of the wall. The invention is complicated by the inclusion of a battery pack positioned in the lid and positioned to counterbalance the radio. U.S. Pat. No. 4,939,912 to Leonovich also describes a radio or other electrical device such as tape casette player positioned in and protruding from the wall of a cooler chest. Like U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,191, the '912 patent includes antenna wiring extending from the radio unit in the cooler base into a moveable lid. In addition, the '912 patent suggests solar power units as sources of electrical power, but fails to disclose any positioning of such units or the size required. U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,185 to Sloan describes a cooler chest in which a radio system is positioned in the walls of a cooler chest. Solar energy panels are placed on the surface of the lid and connected through the lid to the radio unit. The disclosure includes provisions for connection to an external power source. U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,041 to Piechota describes a cooler lid modified to house a radio. A folding device allows a radio to be supported above the surface of the cooler lid for use and as a result of a folding mechanism to be stored in a compartment in the cooler lid when not in use. U.S. Pat. No. D305,397 to Balius and U.S. Pat. No. D321,515 to Harris describe placement of radios in one side of the chest portion of a commercially available cooler chest with elements of the radio protruding from the surface. U.S. Pat. No. D334,868 to Woon describes a cooler with a radio receiver unit positioned in the side wall of the cooler chest and speakers placed in a separate compartment below the chest.
Accordingly there remains room in the art for combinations of portable radios and coolers that position the entire radio unit and power supply in one component of the cooler thereby eliminating wiring between the chest and lid components, with the entire unit positioned within a component of the cooler thereby reducing potential damage, maximizing protection from dirt and moisture, providing a flexible power source, and minimizing effects on the structure and normal use of the cooler.